


The Three Days of Solstice

by aelins



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, but nesta isn't so good with holidays so it gets off to a rough start for her, it's a holiday fic, mate bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:34:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21825229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aelins/pseuds/aelins
Summary: Nesta has a rough start to the holidays, her first year in the Illyrian Steppes, but it ends well, for both her and Cassian.
Relationships: Nesta Archeron/Cassian
Comments: 5
Kudos: 30





	1. Difficulty

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first holiday fic I've ever written, please be kind.

Cassian’s voice cut through the camp like lightning through dry wood, all sharp edges and kinetic energy. His feet were planted in a fighting stance and he couldn’t help but wonder if the Illyrian male in front of him and an irritable Nesta were secretly plotting his doom. 

“Answer the question, are you trying to starting a fight?” The Lord of Bloodshed’s voice boomed out. 

Nesta’s arms were wrapped firmly around the Illyrian, her legs on either side of him and he couldn’t help but wonder what the name of _seven hells_ he’d just interrupted. Then, the scent of sex and arousal hit his nose so hard he nearly gagged. 

His voice shook as he looked at Nesta, “Get off him, get off him and stop trying to fuck yourself into an early grave!” 

She obeyed, and when she got off her little ride Cassian could only see red. He took her hand firmly, but not so hard as too hurt, although he figured she was feeling no pain right now, given the wine-soaked smell of her. 

He called back into the tent, “The Spymaster will take care of you.” He thought he heard the Illyrian male whimper. 

He made Nesta trudge all the way up the cabin, a near two-mile walk in the freezing cold and she was only wearing a slight dress. 

He enters the house and Nesta, by the mother, he wants to throttle her, “Get in the house.” He says, and there’s anger in his voice. 

She sets her jaw and shakes her head, “You don’t get to determine who I do and do not fuck,” she slurred. 

Cassian let out a feral snarl, “You want to get some horrible disease, be my guest, maybe it will get it into your thick skull that your life isn’t a joke!” 

Nesta adjusts her braid, “Yes it is. It’s a joke to everyone around me.” She said, the quiet hurt in her voice coming through. 

Cassian froze in place, stuck between shutting the door in her face and shock, “What are you on about?” He asks, sounding beleaguered. 

“It’s a joke, everything is a fucking joke,” her tone is angry like she’d been chomping at the bit to say this to him for all six months they’d been in this cabin. “Whether I live or die is a joke because in the end it just makes my sisters’ lives easier if I’m not around to ruin their marvelous plans.” 

There’s a cold fury in her voice and Cassian rolls his shoulders uncomfortably, “Let me get this straight, you think it will make people’s lives easier if you’re no longer here?” He’d started out yelling but now, now his voice was a whisper, against the howling wind. He shook his head, “No, Nesta, it wouldn’t.” 

Nesta looked irritable and he hoped he’d interrupted her in time for her to not have some other male’s come dripping down her thighs. The thought makes him take her in the house, she’d gone still and quiet and he can feel shame radiating off her in waves. 

“Go shower, love.” He says, going into the kitchen to find something for them to both eat. 

She nods numbly and comes out when she’s scrubbed herself sore. 

She flops down at the table and they eat in silence. 

He wants to say so many things, but her restless fidgeting is driving him spare. 

“I’m going out.” He says in an undertone. 

Nesta looks up from her finished food, “No, stay.” She says it so softly he thinks maybe he didn’t hear her correctly, but then, louder she says, “I want you to stay.” 

He nods, and builds a fire in the small grate the cabin has, the snow falls softly, and Cassian wants to tell her, it’s Solstice, but she’d been content to ignore the holiday this year. 

Just as she’s drifting off in his arms, she presses a kiss to his cheek, “Happy Solstice, Cassian.” 

He nuzzles into her hair and hums, “Happy Solstice, Nesta.” 

They fall asleep like that, and Cassian hopes the second day of Solstice is a little less heart wrenching, a little less eventful. 


	2. Secret Seductress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snowball fights, a cranky and horny nesta, baking.

The next day came late to them, Cassian woke with a crick in his neck, and he looked around, realizing this wasn’t his bed. Nesta was drooling on his leathers and a slow, happy smile curved Cassian’s lips. 

Nesta had clearly had a rough time in the camps so far, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t make this solstice the best one she’d ever had. A plan for the day began to formulate in his head, snowball fights, baking, decorating. Yes, they could make quite the time of it. 

Nesta wriggled against him and brushes gently against one of his wings, _damn it not now_. He pleads with his cock, which had stood at immediate attention. 

“Cassian?” Nesta’s voice was unusually soft. 

“Good morning princess.” He said trying to turn away from her. 

She let out a soft laugh, “I’m sorry I touched your wing.” 

Cassian grumbled and then said, “What do you want for breakfast?” He got up and stretched his back to her, so she wouldn’t see the hardness peeking out from his thighs. That laugh… he would let his wings be shredded a thousand times to hear it every morning. 

“Eggs, toast, whatever you feel like having,” Nesta said, and then strode into the bathroom to go bathe quickly. 

Cassian set about making breakfast, and when they sat down to breakfast (fried eggs and toast with coffee), Cassian felt like there was something he had to get off his chest, “Nes?” 

“Mmmm?” She said from over the rim of her coffee mug. 

“I know…” he paused, “I know that you suffered during the war, I know you needed someone and I wasn’t there.” 

Nesta lets out a hollow laugh, “Cassian I needed a lot of things, but you were never at fault for me not having them.” 

Cassian blinked, “Do you ever think about… that day, on the battlefield?” 

“Every day.” Nesta pushed around her eggs. 

Cassian knew he was only making her uncomfortable, but now he’d gone and opened the can of worms and there was no putting them back now. “Maybe you didn’t feel it…” Cassian barked a laugh, “but I’d been hoping you had.” 

Realization dawns on Nesta, and she stood so fast her chair overturned, “Cassian,” her voice was shaky and Cassian hated the sound, “If I decide to spend my life with someone, it will be because I _chose_ them, not because of some infernal Cauldron blessed union.” 

Cassian bit his lip and watched as she left the house. He could go after her, he’d never gone after her, not after that night so many Solstices ago when she’d decided she didn’t want him. Something pricked in his chest, and it wasn’t his pride for once. He was out into the cold air, bundled up and flying low over her in a moment. 

“Leave it alone, Cass.” Nesta said. 

“I can’t, it’s Solstice, what kind of male would I be if I left you alone?” Cassian said from above. 

Nesta laughed despite herself, and again, Cassian thought he might die a thousand times to hear it again, she stopped running from him, and threw a snowball at him, half-heartedly. 

He let it hit him, and then landed directly in front of her, “Nes, you’re giving me whiplash.” 

Nesta looked away, “I’m giving myself whiplash is more like it.” 

Then she picked up a snowball and hit him in the face with it. 

In the end, Nesta ended dumping a considerable amount of snow down Cassian’s shirt, which caused him to jump and yelp and curse a blue streak. Their cheeks were red and their fingers cold when they went inside, though their hearts were warm. 

It didn’t take Nesta long to turn on the oven and they made a day of cooking and baking the pieces to a gingerbread house, which Cassian ate the majority of before the icing was even set. 

Nesta collapsed in front of the dying fire, it was nearly midnight, and she had to fly to Velaris tomorrow to see her sisters and Azriel and Rhys for their annual celebration. Nowadays it was the only time of year she saw much of Elain or Feyre. 

Cassian frowned at her form, “Come to bed,” He said, and of course, he meant that she should go to her bed and him to his bed. He hadn’t expected her to saunter up to him like the seductress she was and bring her mouth to his and with a whimpered groan, then kiss the living hell out of him. 

She looked up at him through her thick lashes and gave him a grin, “Goodnight Cassian.” 

He grinned back like the lovesick fool he was, and said in a hoarse whisper, “Night, Nes.”

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on [tumblr?](https://feyesand.tumblr.com) or [the bird app](https://www.twitter.com/sanktaleks)


End file.
